I guess that life just overtook and I haven't found the impetus to blog with so much new stuff going on around us...
I wrote about our first week here and didn't get round to posting it, it's a bit we did this and we did please bare with me I promise to try and improve!
Our first week
Saturday was all about getting here and buying food, eating, drinking and settling in. Luis was watering the lawn when we arrived, he and his young lad Alexander greeted us warmly and then retreated to give us space after travelling. After shopping we came back to discover him mowing the lawn, he's a lovely guy! We'd eaten around six and were on the lawn looking at the house, our home when the couple who have a weekend place just across the track returned, they came over to say hello and insisted we come look at the house which they had restored themselves, small on the outside but a tardis inside. Next we knew he and his wife were bringing out bread and cheese and beers for all. We explained we had eaten, chatted and drank, Phil popped to ours and got more beer and wine, jokes were made about English and their drinking, more chat and we made our excuses and came home to bed.
We were up early on Sunday and did some daily household stuff, before buying a few more bits we needed then headed to the beach for a picnic, we saw frogs and snakes in the little stream that runs out to sea, we layer on the sand and chilled out.
Monday all our worldly goods arrived promptly courtesy of Algarve Freight, they were brilliant! We dug around for a few bits and pieces before heading off on a plant buying trip, we bought bougainvillea, dark purple, jasmine, an orange flowered climbing plant and some pot plants, after we sewed seeds into what containers we could find or craft from empty water bottles. We went out for a walk to the windmill, the walk became extended to round the block, around a mile and a half.
Tuesday we cleaned and shopped, we cleared the cupboards, threw stuff out, rationalised, got more stuff out of boxes, my Sabatier kitchen knives, large frying pan and other assorted goodies. More shopping as we realise what is missing. Although we speak very little Portuguese we managed with few problems to arrange phone and Internet to our little house, hopefully that will happen next week and we can stop using our UK mobile accounts for access. The system has changed, we used to get a defined amount of access from our provider now we get a limit, how much we are unsure of but we are warned when we have nearly reached it, then when we have reached it and are offered a £1.99 top up for another undefined amount, I can see the bill being high for both of us, to have home Internet will be a relief, as we can tether our phones and iPads to my laptop to gain a wifi service and use FaceTime to talk to the folks back home.
Wednesday our friends came over, we drank coffee and chatted about the change in weather, we are currently getting the tail end of some nasty UK weather and sadly the temperature has dropped and we're getting rain and clouds, it will pass though as all things do. Next was shopping for paint and related decorating bits. We ate pasta on the veranda.
Thursday we headed into Milfontes to the fish market where we bought fresh sea bass for tea. Next we dropped into see Tom at the Remax office, he helped us view properties for almost a year, it's important for us to keep in touch because he's a lovely guy and did so much for us. He once again told us to get in touch if we needed help with anything, I don't know any UK estate agents that offer that kind of support! We bought step ladders and headed home for lunch after which we commenced decorating our bedroom, pure white in the int he classic Portuguese way, though we may do a feature wall later. It's a long time since I decorated, and by the time we finished it was 'Ouch'! We knew we were unfit and have to build up strength for the projects to come.
We are both noticing a change in shape after just a few days, our eating habits have changed, not only a reduction in the amount but more salad and fruit. We will be eating more fish, meat is eaten with salad, so a reduction in carbs. We are also eating breakfast every morning, for me a little cereal and fruit, some mornings just fruit, lunch is light, a little bread some sheep cheese and salad for me, lean ham or eggs for Phil. We are truly determined to make this move a real lifestyle change. The wine however is so cheap, €1.59 for a good bottle of vino verde, €2.79 for a bottle of reserve red which is very quaffable, as the work load increases I am drinking less, physically tired I have less need to de-stress myself.
Friday we couldn't decide whether the paint was even so decided to leave it for another day, we pottered, Phil sorted boxes and I pruned the roses. A few meow odd jobs and we decided to head to the beach, we didn't get there, we got distracted and wandered down various tracks in the car. Phil treated me to a meal a Duna Parque, a stone steak with a little Gorgonzola sauce on the side, we even had desert, chocolate mousse, very light and fluffy. The added bonus was free wifi so we filled our boots so to speak before heading home for another early night.
Today we went to look for a bed, we found a couple of local shops and saw some really solidly built ones, not cheap but not overly expensive either, but we thought we'd go and look in Beja, a much larger town about 90km away, we couldn't find a furniture shop for the life of us, even with Internet, maps and phone sat nav, we did however get a couple of double sockets, a light switch and a cauliflower, we successfully managed the automatic check out, so not a complete fail.
It's our second Sunday at home, and I've just opened a bottle of champagne to celebrate! We went to Cabo Sardao to day and wandered on the cliffs by the lighthouse, we noticed just how many wild flowers there were of different types, marvelled at the precarious introduction some baby storks have being balance high up on the rocks with the sea below crashing around them. We then went ove to the beach at Furnas but but then the clouds had drawn over and the wind had developed a sharp edge, time for home. I'm siting on the veranda listening to the wind in the trees and a variety of hidden wildlife making a variety of sounds. We have booked the ferry for our return journey to Portugal with my car, Portsmouth to Bilbao, with 2 nights on board I pray for calm seas!
